Return tickets to SEA

I'm aware SEA is very popular with backpackers traveling around for a few months at a time, but Im wondering on what kind of ticket do people travel?

One way ticket, then get a return when they feel they are done traveling? An open return, I noticed flexible tickets where dates can be changed are very expensive, cant afford £2000 for it, or fixed return, with well set dates?

I found return tickets to singapore or bangkok for appox £550, now I know when I want to set off beg of February and I think I can happily travel for two months but then last year I did a month and it went so quickly!

I had to go back to work so had no excuse to stay longer, this year I don't have to get back for work, its the first time ever and wonder may be I could manage 3 months, I may have enough money for it...so just wondering what do others do?

May help me make my mind up, I'm about to buy a ticket, trying to make a sensible decision.

Thanks for any advice or for sharing any experience with booking flights!

Re: Return tickets to SEA

Many countries require "proof of onward travel". Although few enforce it, upon arrival, many airlines will enforce it when you depart your home country. They are required to see that you are properly documented.

Re: Return tickets to SEA

lilpixie123 wrote:

unless i have a definite return date, i will not buy a round trip ticket. I would buy one way ticket as it doesnt cost cheaper if i bought a round trip.

This is true on low cost carriers, but very often on intercontinental flights, two one way tickets are really expensive.

As to the question, what I did last time for my trip to Singapore was this: I booked a return ticket, not at the cheapest rate, but I paid a little more (I think Euro 100 more). There is an option for that on most airlines' own website, when you check the change/cancellation conditions before you go to the payment screen. I flew Amsterdam-Singapore on KLM and Singapore-Paris-Amsterdam on AF.

In this way I could book a ticket, of which I could change the return date if necessary, against a small extra cost. That gave me exactly the flexibility I needed on that trip.

Re: Return tickets to SEA

caloy_me wrote:

i was actually also thinking on buying roundtrip tickets against a one-way ticket and just book when you're done. what do you think is a safe bet but cheaper?

Airlines here in the Philippines generally require a roundtrip ticket that needs to be shown upon checking-in for departing Filipino passengers. Sometimes, immigration will also ask for one. Blame this on the scores of hundreds of "kababayan" who left and never returned

Re: Return tickets to SEA

westwind57 wrote:

This is true on low cost carriers, but very often on intercontinental flights, two one way tickets are really expensive.

As to the question, what I did last time for my trip to Singapore was this: I booked a return ticket, not at the cheapest rate, but I paid a little more (I think Euro 100 more). There is an option for that on most airlines' own website, when you check the change/cancellation conditions before you go to the payment screen. I flew Amsterdam-Singapore on KLM and Singapore-Paris-Amsterdam on AF.

In this way I could book a ticket, of which I could change the return date if necessary, against a small extra cost. That gave me exactly the flexibility I needed on that trip.

fortunately singapore is "trading" port, so there is alot of transfer flights arnd.. and i live in singapore so the price of air tix is fairly reasonable *yeah* example the round trip for air tix to BKK would be SGD200 or lesser

so far i check the low cost carriers (or the budgets airline), there is no difference in price for one or round trip. getting round trip and changing the dates will normally cost more.

p.s: budget airline in singapore are tiger airway, jetstar, air asia or scoot (newest one!) and these budget airlines do hv flights to quite a number of cities in SEA

Re: Return tickets to SEA

Re: Return tickets to SEA

In addition to what Pixie said, check out the low cost carriers (LCCs) of the countries you are planning to visit. You don't necessarily have to fly out using the same carrier you flew in with, even if it's the same origin/destination. Often, LCCs have sales that change every week (an example is here in the Philippines with Cebu Pacific, Airphilexpress, AirAsia, ZestAir and SEAir/Tiger) and you could get a better deal provided you firm up your travel dates. If you cancel though, don't expect a refund at all, even with all the other taxes and surcharges that were added on top of the low fare.

Re: Return tickets to SEA

i went to se asia last year for 4 months and i had a return ticket. for me it was perfect. but my friend decided to go home one month earlier so she changed the date of her return. of course she had to pay for it but it wasn't that much. the only problem was that she couldn't pay online and had to go to the office in bangkok.it's cheaper to buy a return ticket, single tickets are soooo expensive. sometimes they are more expensive than return ones, i don't understand how it works..

Re: Return tickets to SEA

yoanna87 wrote:

i went to se asia last year for 4 months and i had a return ticket. for me it was perfect. but my friend decided to go home one month earlier so she changed the date of her return. of course she had to pay for it but it wasn't that much. the only problem was that she couldn't pay online and had to go to the office in bangkok.it's cheaper to buy a return ticket, single tickets are soooo expensive. sometimes they are more expensive than return ones, i don't understand how it works..

Hi Joanna, the cost of the return ticket will depend on the type of airline you fly.

In the past, there were no low cost carriers (LCC) yet, so most international trips were booked roundtrip on the same carrier (that was the cheapest way). Unless one booked a full fare ticket (not discounted), where there were no or little restrictions (like non-rebookable, non-endorsable, non-reroutable, non-refundable, etc.). The endorsable part mean you could fly out of your destination on another airline, and with little or no charges to do so. The reroutable part meant you could change your routing (e.g. make a stopover, or even change the whole itinerary) provided the total mileage on the ticket did not exceed the maximum. And so on with the other restrictions, including doing such changes online.

When the LCCs (or even with discounted tickets) came, they dropped the fare quite low and slapped on most restrictions. At higher fare levels you might be able to rebook the ticket, but with a charge imposed. So it made sense to buy a one way ticket since if you had a roundtrip ticket that had the restriction of non-rebookability or re-routability, you'd end up paying more to change the itinerary. With two one way tickets, if you can't travel on your return sector, you'd just buy a new ticket (and throw away the original ticket you won't be using).

So now there are many LCCs in SEA, you can book these online and just bring a copy of your itinerary printout. This should be enough for the immigration officials as proof of onward travel.

Re: Return tickets to SEA

Why not book a return flight and if you want to stay longer change your return flight with the airline. Depending on your airline you can do this for less than £100. I know Emirates quoted me £75 to change my return flights. Ask about the cost of changing your return date before booking your ticket.Hope this is helpful.Enjoy your trip. :-)

Re: Return tickets to SEA

I always get a return flight home, if I need to change the date I change the date, I mostly travel by land so I don't take local one way flights, but I'm not against the idea, I just find them too expensive when booked last min. + I have the time (3 months) to do Thailand and Cambodia without rushing around.

I did one trip where I went Montreal - Bangkok - Cebu (internal flight to Palawan) - Manila - Montreal

I was supposed to fly back to BK, but then asked Japan airlines if I could fly home from Manila instead (same date) and they didn't even charge me xtra.

Re: Return tickets to SEA

Re: Return tickets to SEA

Thanks everybody...

I found cheap returns to either Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong, all good for my trip... I'm thinking of booking for 2 months, sometimes I worry it may be too long, but given last year a month went by so quickly I'm worried I may want to stay even longer if I'm having a good time, in which case I'd have to postpone and decide on ow long extra to stay...again same decision to which I'd have to stick... Or then I could book for 3 months and then change and go home when I've had enough? Haha I feel rather undecided...

Re: Return tickets to SEA

Speaking of one way tickets, I'm planning on buying a one way ticket into Vietnam, and the agency where I got my "visa on arrival" form said it would be no problem. Anyone know if this is true or false? Thanks.